NeTEX

NeTEx overview

NeTEx has been developed under the aegis of CEN (Comité Européen de Normalisation) and is the most recent development stage in over fifteen years work to systemise and harmonize European passenger information data.

NeTEx provides a means to exchange data for passenger information such as stops, routes timetables and fares, among different computer systems, together with related operational data. It can be used to collect and integrate date from many different stakeholders, and to reintegrate it as it evolves through successive versions.

NeTEx is intended to be a general purpose XML format, designed for the efficient, updateable exchange of complex transport data among distributed systems. This allows the data to be used in modern web services architectures and to support a wide range of passenger information and operational applications.

To find out more about the NeTEX data model, visit the NeTEX website.

NeTEx-Light and NeTEx EPIP

Ideally all member states will provide NeTEx files according to the European Passenger Information Profile (EPIP) on their respective National Access Point. Data4PT provides some artefacts to simplify producing and quality assure such information.

First of all a simplified and EPIP-adapted version of the full NeTEx XML schema has been produced.

• Browse the graphic and interactive technical presentation of the adapted schema.
  • Download EPIP adapted XML-schema
  • Download EPIP example file
• Browse the dedicated Github repository for the EPIP Reduced XSD

National profiles

A number of National and international profiles have already been defined for different European countries and more are under development. A list of these profiles with links to the relevant documentation is available here:

• ch : Swiss profile - Work In progress.
  • Realisation directive
• de : German Profile.
  • VDV462.
• dk : Denmark implements Nordic Profile and the EU profiles.
• eu : Europe - Passenger Information Profile (Timetables) (above). There is work in progress on European Accessibility Profile (EPIAP) lead by DATA4PT project. To be delivered in the 1st quarter of 2022.
• fi : Finland - Nordic Profile .
• fr : FrenchProfile.
  • Common Profile specification.
  • Stop Profile specification.
  • Network Profile specification.
  • Timetable Profile specification.
• ie : Irish Profile.
  • Profile Elements.
  • Profile Data Mappings
• it  : Italian Profile
• nl : Netherlands profile.
  • Profile specification.
  • Bison Fares.
• no : Norway - Nordic Profile.
• pt  : Portuguese Profile
• se : Sweden - Nordic Profile.
• si  : Slovenian Profile
• uk : UK Profile (FareExchange.
  • Introduction.
  • Stops and Timetables.
  • Fares.

If your use cases are resolved in an existing profile, it is highly recommended to adopt an existing solution and cooperate with the corresponding entity. You will save resources while you will ensure that your profile is interoperable. In order to support the identification of use cases, DATA4PT will deliver soon an inventory with the existing national profiles, identifying the functional scope and the elements/objects used.

NeTEx software / tools

General purpose XML tools can be used to work with the NeTEx XML schema and XML documents that conform to it, for example either the proprietary XML SPY , or Oxygen or see free tools at http://www.garshol.priv.no/download/xmltools/. A wide variety of mainstream XML tools are available to validate XML and to create bindings to specific programming languages (.NET, Java, PHP, C++).

To look at the design models, an interactive UML viewer such as Enterprise Architect is extremely helpful, although a set of static web pages is also available. Sample mappings to a variety of national formats (VDV, BISON, etc) as well as GTFS have been developed and are included in the NeTEx standard.

The following list of software is known to support NeTEx. We distinguish between different categories that may later receive a list of key performance indicators.

Conversion of NeTEx between other formats

Name	Availability	Description	Profile	License	URL
netex-protobuf	Available	NeTEx to protobuf converter	all	EUPL	https://github.com/entur/netex-protobuf
gtfs2netexfr	Available	Export GTFS data to NeTEx.	French		https://github.com/CanalTP/transit_model/tree/master/gtfs2netexfr
hastus	Available	Giro Hastus OIG script to export NeTEx from a system, in addition can export crew operations.	Dutch, Nordic(?)	AGPL-3.0	https://github.com/skinkie/hastus
josm-plugin-netex-converter	Available	Export OpenStreetMap pedestrian routing information into NeTEx.		GPL 2.0	https://gitlab.com/labiangashi/josm-plugin-netex-converter/

Data Validation tools

Name	Availability	Description	Profile	License	URL
XMLlint	Available	XML syntax validation, XSD schema validation and constraint checking.	All	MIT	http://www.xmlsoft.org/

Language bindings and software development aids

NeTEx XML bindings
Name	Availability	Description	Profile	License	URL
netex-java-model	Available	NeTEx XML bindings for Java, with additions to map temporal types to native objects.	Any	EUPL	https://github.com/entur/netex-java-model
netex-csharp-model	Not Available	NeTEx XML bindings for C#. Currently being researched with a variety of tools. Contact DATA4PT if you have questions or have found the golden egg.	Any

Editing /Management & visualisation tools for NeTEx data

Name	Availability	Description	Profile	License	URL
Nplan	Available	Java backend / TypeScript frontend for create/edit/export of NeTEx data (Support both Timetable based and On-demand polygon based services)	Nordic	EUPL	backend - https://github.com/entur/uttu frontend - https://github.com/entur/enki
NSR	Available	Java backend / JavaScript frontend for import/creation/edit/export for NeTEx stops data. (Act as a National Stops Register for the whole of Norway)	Nordic	EUPL	backend - https://github.com/entur/tiamat frontend - https://github.com/entur/abzu
Chouette	Available	Java backend / Ruby frontend for import/validation/edit/export of NeTEx data. Highly modified version of the old AFIMB version of Chouette. NOTE: Legacy software not recommended for new implemetations	Nordic	CeCILL-B	backend - https://github.com/entur/chouette frontend - https://github.com/entur/chouette2
Chouette	Available	Java based NeTEx tools, transforms between profiles and standards (NeTEx, GTFS, Neptune).	EPIP	Apache 2.0	https://enroute.mobi/produits/chouette/
mobilitx	Available				https://mobilitx.diginext.fr/
mobiref	Available				https://www.lumiplan.com/produit/mobiref/
NeTEx Reader	In Development	C# based XML tool, based on Giro Hastus XSD.	Dutch		https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpb_1Y9uR5k
netexconv2	In Development	Java based NeTEx tools, transforms between profiles and standards (NeTEx, DINO, HAFAS, KV1, GTFS).	Dutch, EPIP, Nordic, VDV462
IVU.cloud	Available		EPIP		https://www.ivu.com/news/news/article/delfi-successfully-migrates-to-ivucloud.html
Motus	Available	Motus is the Fleet Scheduling Management System provided by Pluservice. The application is designed by independent and integrated modules which can be activated according to specific operational needs. One of the latest module created and already available is the generation of NeTEx datasets starting from the operational data collected by public transport operators. For this purpose, Motus receives the input data starting from a GTFS and it is able to enrich these data with further relevant information such as contracts, vehicles. Then Motus transforms these data into the NeTEx Italian profile. Data model: the database is designed according to Transmodel specifications, European reference standard (EN12896) for public transport.	Italian		https://www.pluservice.net/it/soluzioni/gestione-rete-e-turni

NeTEx data enabled

Name	Availability	Description	Profile	License	URL
OpenTripPlanner	Available	Timetable and shortest path journey planner supporting reading various input formats including GTFS and NeTEx.	Nordic	Apache 2.0	http://docs.opentripplanner.org/en/dev-2.x/Netex-Norway/

Planning system supporting native NeTEx export

Name	Availability	Description	Profile
Hastus	Available	Planning system from Giro for public transport	Nordic
Trapeze	Available	Planning system from Trapeze for public transport	Nordic
DG Buss	Available	Planning system from Datagrafikk for public transport	Nordic
Train Plan	Available	Planning system from Trapeze for railway	Nordic
IVU	In development	Planning system from IVU for public transport	Nordic
IVU	In development	Planning system from IVU for railway	Nordic
Turnit	Available	Planning system from Turnit for public transport	Nordic
Nplan	Available	Planning system from Entur for public transport	Nordic
TPSI	Available	Planning system from HaCon for railway	Nordic